The Protector
by faithful24
Summary: Tris Prior doesn't take crap from anyone. She's always defensive and is awfully brutal when she needed to be. Most people would call her a bitch for it. But Four, observing as ever, realises something that they don't. They're alike, them two. Their stories, similar. He wants to know but she wants to keep it "protected". It also doesn't help that he's made himself an enemy of hers.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey, first I apologise for the unfinished story. I swear I'm the worst. But I had deleted it after I realised I didn't like where it was going so I decided on a new plot and I like this idea better... I think. Anyway, thank you for opening this story. There may be a few character complications... like for example, I've made Tori as Tris's older sister etc. and I hope that I haven't confused anyone. BUT now that exams are all done for the year, I'll be able update a lot quicker. So yeah. Thanks again!**

 **By the way, the first chapter is basically just a small insight on Tris as a character so I apologise if already it's boring lol**

 **P.S There's a lot of cursing cos I have no filter and can't help myself. I apologise in advance.**

* * *

 **TRIS:**

I groaned as I snoozed my alarm for the fifth time.

Just as I was about to close my eyes again, the door bursted open as my sister, Tori, stormed into the room. Her arms folded as she stared at me with a disapproving glare.

"Get up Tris" she urged. "You're gonna be late if you keep this up."

I groaned once more.

"Let me skip?" I pleaded, pouting slightly as a means of persuasion tactics.

But she didn't fall for it.

Instead, she grabbed a pillow and hit me with it.

"Up _now_ , Beatrice."

I gulped.

 _Uh oh, she used my full name._

Letting out a dramatic wail, I then arose from my comfortable bed and dragged myself to the bathroom.

Once I was dressed and ready, I headed to the kitchen.

I grabbed a piece of bacon as she offered me a plate of pancakes. I politely declined before snatching up a banana.

As I was about to head out of the house, she suddenly called out to me. She quickly rushed over to the exit to see me out.

"Have a good day, alright Bea?" I nodded, smiling slightly before kissing her cheek. "Oh and please try not to get expelled. I don't want a repeat of what happened at Erudite Academy."

Chuckling slightly, I waved goodbye.

Today was my first day at Dauntless High and it was only just the beginning of the second term.

At Erudite Academy, I was expelled after the _first_ term.

Honestly, it wasn't even my fault. The students there just knew _exactly_ how to get on my nerves; all 100 billion of them.

At first, I had only received suspensions. And detentions.

A _lot_ of detentions.

But after my third suspension, they decided that the next fight I got into will be the last one ever. They had decided that the next step was expulsion.

They had warned me as if I cared.

Getting expelled wasn't something I was worried about. And I'd be damned if I just sat and watched as their students try to walk all over me. I wasn't that type of girl. I wasn't a carpet. I wasn't raised on the streets for nothing.

As I hopped into my black Camaro sports car, Tori remained standing at the door, her face slightly concerned.

Only when I was completely out of sight, did she enter the house.

I frowned a few minutes after leaving her. She wasn't the only who was worried.

So was I.

But it wasn't about school.

I wasn't the only one who attracted bad situations.

*.*.*

As I walked into the main building, I unfolded the map that was delivered to my house a week ago.

Finding my locker was fairly simple but it was finding my homeroom that was a struggle.

Giving up on the search, I strode up to the first person I could see. Their back was turned to me as he spoke to his friends. Tapping his shoulder, he turned around in surprise.

The first thing I instantly noticed was the two piercings above his left eyebrow. There was also a single earring on his left ear and a small tattoo on his neck. _Did the school actually allow this?_ BY appearance, he seemed like someone the students avoided out of fear but he didn't faze me.

I've seen scarier.

"Hey. Can you show me where room 201 is, please?" I asked him. In response, he threw me a dirty look.

"Find it yourself" he hissed before turning back to original position. He resumed his conversation as if I hadn't just spoken to him.

I grimaced a little.

"I can't" I told him. "It's the whole reason I'm here asking you."

"Then go ask someone else" he growled out over his shoulder.

My jaw clenched. He was beginning to piss me off. I was _actually_ trying to be polite; something I struggled to do.

Tori's earlier words then rang in my ear loudly. Exhaling very slowly, I kept a restraint on my anger. Forcing a smile that he couldn't see, I thanked him anyway.

Just as I walked off, I heard him mutter "bitch" underneath his breath.

That did it.

A whole new wave of fury crashed over me.

Pivoting on my heel, I stormed over to him and grabbed his shoulder. He spun around at my rough touch. For a moment, he was shocked with my return but that was quickly replaced with an irritated expression.

"What the?" he yelled. "Look-!" he tried to say but I cut him off.

"No, _you_ look here _bitch_ " I hissed angrily. "Having a dick doesn't give you an excuse to be one. And if you're gonna insult someone, at least make it smart because at this stage, I'm pretty sure your ass is jealous of the bullshit coming out of your mouth. I _would_ tell you to go to hell, but I work there and I really do not want to see your face again."

Unknowingly, a crowd had formed from the very beginning. And it wasn't until I heard loud laughter that I only just noticed the presence of spectators.

The two guys who were laughing the loudest of all, were amongst two others who stood by quietly with amusement.

They all had letterman jackets on, immediately screaming the stereotypical "jocks" and "popularity" status. I wouldn't be surprised if they were the schools "Greek gods." There was one in every school.

The rest of the student body who were laughing as well were drowned out by the two lookalike males.

Others whispered to one another in what seemed like a buzz of excitement.

I furrowed my brows before turning back to the guy in front of me who had gone quiet.

He obviously didn't expect that. Neither did anyone else, apparently.

I silently sighed before mentally pleading the heavens for mercy.

 _Hopefully, this doesn't get me expelled from the school._

As if I had just caught onto that thought, I mentally facepalmed and inwardly flinched at the realisation.

 _Ah shit, it's only my first day and it hasn't even officially started. Tori's gonna kill me if she hears about this._

Letting out another breath, I then left the scene nonchalantly, more worried about what my sister might say than the vengeful aura surrounding the jerk aka Metal Face.

As I walked through more corridors, still in a tangled mess of thoughts, I then abruptly came to a stop.

I still had no idea where the fuck room 201 was.

*.*.*

Luckily, the rest of the week remained uneventful. I had actually managed to get by without getting into trouble.

Tori was pretty proud.

However, I should've known that it would have never lasted.

When Monday returned and the final bell had sounded, students unexpectedly gathered around my car at the end of the day.

Confused, I pushed my way to the front. When I saw what had caught everyones attention, my fists involuntarily clenched.

Someone had slashed my front left tyre.

The initials L.M were written on my window in hot pink lipstick, giving away the perpetrator.

Lauren Mitchell. Worst bitch I've ever come across.

She attended Erudite Academy and was the main reason I kept getting into fights leading up to my expulsion.

My clenched fists tightened even more.

I understood why this had happened.

I had had the last say at Erudite Academy when I destroyed their cheerleading uniforms as retaliation for their last prank.

She had obviously been craving for revenge.

But now, so was I.

Forgetting the car, I walked towards the gates of the school before breaking off into a light jog.

I needed my sisters car for this.

Oh.

And a small knife.


	2. Chapter 2

**TRIS:**

It was the day after I found my car vandalised.

I stood by my locker with my chemistry textbook wide open. There was a pop quiz first period and I hadn't studied at all last night. Procrastination was soon going to be the end of me.

As I tried to cram as much information as I could, my body suddenly froze without thought. My mind blanked for a single second before it sprung back to life. My senses immediately kicked in.

The sudden feeling of extra auras invaded my personal space. I could feel the proximity seeping into my skin.

Slowly gazing up, I'm immediately met with three students who surrounded my being.

Three _very good looking_ male students.

I recognised them as the group who had witnessed my encounter last week with Metal Face.

Except... there was only three of them here. They were missing someone; their ringleader perhaps.

Meeting the gazes of every single one of them, I then gradually raised a curious brow.

"Can I help you with something?"

The guy obscuring my view instantly flashed me a winning smile. His chocolate brown eyes lit up with a mischievous gleam.

That's when I realised why he seemed so familiar. We shared a few classes together.

It was that smile.

That damn smile was the reason my ears couldn't get a break from the squeals of easily smitten girls.

His next words however made me wonder how he managed to attract the attention of so many.

"Actually, there is."

It wasn't necessarily what he said. It was more so the deliverance that perplexed me.

Unexpectedly, he had responded in a British accent.

For what reason, I don't know. But it was _absolutely_ terrible.

My eyebrow rose even higher.

Thankfully, I wasn't the only one who thought so because his friends had instantly turned to look at him incredulously.

The guy, who I was sure was a senior amongst us, was the first to react.

He voiced all three of our opinions.

"What the fuck Uriah?" he asked, stupefied.

Uriah, who's name I had just learned, instantly frowned. In genuine confusion, he the asked, "What?"

I suppressed the urge to laugh when his friends turned away from him. They looked as if they were trying to desperately remember why they were friends with him.

But Uriah merely ignored them before turning back to me.

"Anyways, I was thinking-" I slammed my textbook shut at this.

"Are you sure that's safe?"

His two friends smirked smugly.

"Finally" Uriah's lookalike then muttered. "Someone who agrees."

Uriah pouted childishly.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's pretty obvious, isn't it?" I asked, while closing my locker shut. "You aren't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, are you?"

Walking off on them, they surprisingly followed after me. I eyed them warily over my shoulder.

"You know, I can be smart when I want to be" he continued to argue.

I almost felt for him.

He was _really_ trying to get his point across.

"Stupidity is a personal choice" he then exclaimed proudly.

I couldn't help it anymore.

I grinned at him.

"Alright" I replied as he caught up and walked beside me.

"Does this mean you'll let me speak then?" he asked cheekily.

Only when he said that, did I remember they had approached me for a reason. I nodded once.

"I'm listening."

"We came over to ask you something." I nodded again as a sign to let them know that they can continue. "We wanted to know what you were doing at Erudite Academy yesterday."

The relaxed atmosphere instantly dropped at the query.

Seriousness settled into the centre as I spotted their changed expressions.

Though my internal system froze, my body kept walking. It made me seem less suspicious, which is what I was aiming for, but I was curious.

Yesterday when I had retaliated, slashing all four of Lauren's tyres along with her boyfriends, I knew someone had spotted me. I had felt their eyes on me but I consciously chose to ignore it.

At the time, it didn't feel like a threat. But now I wasn't sure.

Never would I have ever imagined that _they_ were the owners of those gazes.

I've heard that EA and DH were rival schools since the beginning of time. And if that were the case, then what I had done shouldn't bother them.

Unless...

... a) they had ties with either Lauren or her boyfriend Al or b) they were secretly cops who were trying to arrest me for vandalism.

Option B didn't even seem likely so that ruled out that possibility.

In all honesty, I didn't care if they knew.

What I was worried about though, was that their knowledge of it would completely ruin the week I had just had.

If they were snitches, I'd be expelled without a second doubt.

I probably should have thought this through before carrying out my revenge. But retribution blinds people.

Or maybe it was just me.

That didn't matter though. The vandalism had already been done.

As I glanced at them, their stares all piercing my head, I finally came to a conclusion.

Although they didn't seem like snitches, I refused to give myself away so easily.

I opened my mouth to respond while hoping that my long moment of silence didn't raise any further suspicion.

"Does it matter?" I then asked them at last.

Their gazes immediately narrowed. They were trying to figure out what I was trying to do by asking an ambiguous question.

But in my mind, they didn't need to.

If they had seen me, then why the doubts?

My question must've instilled that.

Fortunately for them, Uriah was smart. Smarter than I took him credit for, actually.

He decided to stick with what he had witnessed yesterday.

"Well, it kinda does" he then responded without doubt. "You sorta stole our vengeance spotlight."

When I heard this, I internally sighed in relief.

 _So we were on the same side, huh?_

 _Fricking idiots. Did they have to act so serious if they knew from the start that we had hate for the same people?_

Shaking my head at them, I let myself relax as the tension loosened.

"That's not my fault" I slowly answered. "You've got to be a lot quicker than that."

However, Uriah must've taken my reply into a different light because a seductive smirk immediately graced his face. He took a step closer to me.

"Trust me" he then whispered, his voice suddenly husky.

I frowned. _How'd he make the switch so easily?_

"I can be quick if I wanted to" he then continued, his hot breath enveloping my face.

I had to admit that that was sexy.

Just because I acted like a guy most of the time, that didn't mean I was suddenly blind.

I had eyes. My vision was 20/20.

Uriah and his friends were... _hot_ , for a lack of better words.

And Uriah's sexy prowess in this moment would have worked on me...

... _if_ it weren't for the close proximity.

I was, _somewhat_ , "claustrophobic".

Taking a step back, I extended a hand and planted it on his chest. In an attempt to uphold a reasonable distance between our two bodies, I pushed him back slightly.

But it wasn't enough.

I needed a line; something that will do the job.

"Trust me" I then replied. "I'm pretty sure your lack of size has no choice but to _be_ quick."

That got me my desired effect.

Instantly, Uriah #2 choked on the air before he bursted out into a fit of laughter. He pointed a mocking finger at his younger lookalike, while also chanting teasingly. The blonde with light green eyes merely gaped for a moment before he too joined in with the laughter.

Uriah however merely stood there, surprised that I had taken a jab at, what I assumed, was his ego and masculinity.

Shrugging slightly, I took their distraction as an opportunity to finally escape. When I did, the bell abruptly rang, signalling that I was late for class.

*.*.*

Lunch time came sooner than anticipated which was good. I was getting hungry. And an empty stomach was never a good sign. For anyone really.

As I packed away my books, without thinking to, my body suddenly moved away from its current position.

I was confused by this sudden instinct. But just as I did, a wall tackled right into my locker. I stared wide eyed as I recognised the wall as Uriah.

Laughter instantaneously followed the impact.

I turned unsurprised to find Zeke and Will approaching the scene coolly, unlike their friend had.

Fortunately, I had learnt all of their names from the daily gossip in English class. Who knew that one day gossip would come in handy?

But as I noticed their presence, I frowned.

After this morning, I didn't expect a second encounter with the group. Surely, there was someone else they could go annoy.

"Nice going Uriah" Zeke then said, clapping a hand on his shoulder as he rubbed at his head.

My brow arched as I stared at the younger Pedrad brother.

"What in the world were you trying to do?" I asked him in incredulity.

The corner of his mouth quirked up in a small grin that dripped guilt.

"Nothing" he lied. I thought of drilling him for the truth but Zeke did that for me.

"Bullshit" he exclaimed before turning to me. "He was trying to sneak up on you."

I rolled my eyes at the childish plan.

"Wrong target" I mumbled under my breath. Luckily they didn't hear me.

Opening my locker up again, I grabbed out a granola bar. When I did, I spun around to find that they were _still_ here.

 _What exactly were they waiting for?_

As if he had heard my thoughts, Uriah answered my silent query.

"You ready to go?" I furrowed my brows in puzzlement.

"Go?" I questioned. "Go where?"

"To the cafeteria" he answered as if it was obvious.

My frown deepened.

I hadn't agreed to this.

"You guys go ahead" I told them. "I was going to go to the library anyway."

Zeke raised a curious brow at this, almost as if he read right through me.

"You're just trying to get out of this, aren't you?" he asked with a hint of amusement.

I glared at him as Uriah pouted playfully in abrupt understanding.

"C'mon Tris" he then let out. "I promise we won't bite." As an afterthought, he then swiftly added, "Unless you want me to." He winked as he spoke.

I sighed tiredly.

Uriah just wasn't Uriah without a flirtatious remark, was he?

But alas, I conceded.

I was sure they weren't going to leave me alone until I said yes so I found no point in fighting it any longer.

"I'll come" I announced in agreement, "but only if you promise to withhold the coquettish commentary" I said, directly speaking to the younger Pedrad.

He feigned a hurt expression. "But it comes with the charm" he complained. For a second he dramatically wailed in despair before complying at last.

Allowing myself to be dragged along with the group, we hurriedly arrived at the cafeteria.

Students were already seated and enjoying their meals while others stood in the long queue to get lunch.

Averting my attention back to Uriah, I followed as they made their way over to a table that was already occupied by three females.

Surprisingly, they were a part of their circle of friends too.

I hadn't expected it for some reason.

Uriah immediately then went around doing the introductions as I took a seat next to a mocha skinned girl named Christina.

They seemed friendly as they chatted amongst themselves. But as they did, I kept to myself, just observing the group.

Christina then suddenly turned to me, attracting the attention of everyone else. "So Tris, tell us about yourself?"

I inwardly scoffed. _You don't want to know._

Paraphrasing my thought, I tried again. "What do you want to know?"

For a moment, she went into a deep train of thought before finally coming up with something.

"Why'd you move to DH?"

"I got expelled" I answered her truthfully.

This caused everyone on the table to gape as I bit into my sandwich.

"No shit!" Zeke exclaimed in slight disbelief. I merely nodded. "Why? What'd you do?"

"I got into a few fights."

Six to be exact. All in one term.

But they didn't need to know that.

"Damn girl" Uriah whistled out. I shrugged off his comment.

"Which school was this?" Zeke further questioned.

"Erudite Academy."

The minute the words left my mouth, all three males got the drift.

"Ah" Uriah let out in realisation. "That explains yesterday then."

"What happened yesterday?" Marlene piped up curiously.

I turned to answer her but Zeke beat me to it.

"Nothing."

My head slightly jerked back in awe.

They had actually covered for me. And I didn't even have to coax them into silence.

A small admiration for them fluttered. But it was quickly disrupted when a newcomer intervened.

It was _him_ ; the missing member of their quartet.

Momentarily, his eyes flicked over to me as he observed my presence, before he turned to his friends.

"Why is she here?"

I couldn't help but glare at him with an arched brow. His voice had been void of any emotions whatsoever. And that bothered me.

A hint of anger would've sufficed but there was nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

In response, Uriah glanced over to him sadly.

"Oh c'mon Four" he pleaded. "Can't we keep her?"

This time I averted my glare over to Uriah. I wasn't some pet.

Disregarding him for the moment, I returned back to the guy with a number for a name.

"Is there a problem?" I boldly asked him.

His eyes instantly met mine.

They were a dark blue; a nice sleeping colour that matched his perfectly tanned skin but they were darkened as our gazes collided.

I stared right back at him, refusing to back down.

Zeke tried to interrupt.

"No, there's no prob-." But he was swiftly cut off by Four.

"What's it to you?" he asked me.

I narrowed my eyes at him in confusion.

 _What was with this guy?_

 _Who cares if his looks fucking rivalled Adonis'? He was an asshole._

Clenching my jaw, I replied, the atmosphere beginning to grow tense.

"This conversation is _about_ me" I pointed out to him. "But just so you know, you really shouldn't be having a problem with me. You don't know me well enough to."

His gaze gleamed slightly at this.

"Or at least wait until I give you a reason" I continued, a hint of attitude seeping out. "I'm good at that."

He continued to observe me for a while longer, the silence unnerving, before he finally reacted.

He scoffed quietly.

"I'm pretty sure I have better things to do" he stated.

I offered him a sarcastic grin.

"Really?" I questioned rhetorically. "Like what? Pulling out the stick that's so far up your ass?"

All occupants on the table, by now, had their jaws on the floor.

I doubted anyone, _including_ them, has ever heard someone disrespect their precious jock.

Well...

... _I_ just did.

And I really couldn't care less if he was, in this moment, planning to make my school life a living hell.

Too bad I was from there. He couldn't possibly give me something I've never seen before.

Just for good measure, I then added, "You might want to try harder _Five,_ since you're _clearly_ not succeeding."

Though his glare pierced my head, he didn't seem surprised that I had retaliated.

Until the bell had rang, the table had remained in a state of eeriness.

I hadn't meant to ruin their lunch.

But I couldn't stand Four.

He had no reason to detest me.

 _Neither_ did Lauren but at least her reasoning was plausible.

Four didn't have one _at all_. He was being an ass just for the sake of it. Just because he wanted to.

My frown deepened as I walked to class.

I _knew_ I was going to expelled from this school eventually. It's just now I've actually found my source.

And it just happens to be a guy whose name is a fucking number.


	3. Chapter 3

**TRIS :**

I managed to last another week. And throughout that small time period I had grown a little closer to the gang.

Well... close enough for me to know that they were a cool bunch and the kind of people I didn't mind hanging around with.

Four, however, was a different case. He was always around too but that was only because we had mutual friends. Otherwise, we never really interacted.

We'd glare at each other from across the table, if that counted, but that was about it.

He avoided me and I did the same, not once allowing his presence to faze me.

Now, to me, he was just... there. Like a lamppost on the street. You know it's there. You just don't really give any mind to it.

However, this morning was a little different.

It was the first time, at DH, that I was running late to school.

And by late, I mean, "missed out on two periods" late.

Usually, if this was like any other case, I would've taken my sweet time.

 _That_ was my type of mindset: if I was late, then I might as well be very late.

But that didn't work out this time around because Tori happened.

She had actually threatened me. If I missed out on yet another period, tonight I would be buried 6ft another ground by my own sister.

How loving, right?

But with this in mind, I bursted through the double doors hurriedly while still in a deep train of thought.

I was trying to decide whether I should go to my locker first and grab my books or just go straight to class, empty handed.

Still indecisive, I turned into the next corridor just to almost run into a male student.

Fortunately enough, I was quick to sidestep the obstacle, ultimately avoiding bumping into him.

However, because I accidentally landed wrong (having landed on the side of my foot), my ankle twisted and I found myself falling to the ground nonetheless.

Pain instantaneously shot up my leg.

I grimaced despite the fact that the pain wasn't anything new.

First of all, pain was something I was used to, even to the point where I wouldn't feel it most times.

And even if I did, it was meagre.

And second, I was a naturally clumsy person.

This has happened before.

A _lot_ of times actually.

And it was about time anyway. An accident involving myself had long been overdue.

Twisting my foot in slow circles, I tried to adjust the bone back into place. After a few seconds and coming to the judgement that I was fine, I stood up from the ground slowly.

I could still feel the pain but it was bearable. I was sure I could walk it off.

Just as I gazed up to continue my journey, my eyes suddenly landed on the person I least expected to be here.

He stood just a few metres away from me. And it was then that I realised that he had been the student I had almost ran into.

I immediately thanked the heavens for avoiding that possibility.

Even though our eyes met briefly, I casually looked away, pretending not to see him.

It was stupid, I know.

But hey! We've been doing that for the last week. Why not continue it?

This wasn't anything new.

But then again, it was. Because _he_ had thought differently.

Just as I was about to take a step forward, he abruptly called out to me.

"You're just going to walk away?" he questioned, perplexed.

I scowled although I knew he couldn't see it.

"Does it look like I want to be here?" I hissed at him.

I could feel his stare burning into my skin.

"That's not what I'm talking about" he deadpanned. "Are you not going to go to the nurse's office?"

My eyes rolled the minute he asked. "Why would I need to go there?"

"Don't play dumb" he fired back swiftly. His voice was still unreadable. "You're clearly limping."

This time, I scoffed. _Look, who suddenly cares_.

"I'm not" I snapped at him feistily.

I could feel the intensity of his stare heighten at this.

"You..." he then started, the burning increasing and his voice quiet, "... are unbelievable."

He didn't say that out of awe. Or admiration.

It was more irritation, annoyance and anger. They were all evidently heard in his tone of voice. But that didn't intimidate me.

No matter how much it seemed like he was trying to help, I didn't ask for it; I didn't _want_ it, so I didn't feel obliged to go all " _oh, my hero!_ " on him.

My insides then sparked up in slight fury at this train of thought.

I quietly let out a humourless yet short chuckle.

"Stating opinions now, are we?" I then asked while turning on my heel to face him.

His dark blue eyes were angered as they collided with my blue/grey ones.

"You know what?" I then added. "I liked it better when you weren't speaking."

His fists clenched slightly. If Four Eaton didn't hate me before, he most definitely did now.

"And I liked it better when you weren't at this school" he shot back. "There were less complications."

I grinned sardonically.

"Too bad you're stuck with me" I taunted, my gaze narrowing. "But any more of these interactions and you'll get your wish for sure, Eaton."

I spun around to walk off fiercely, feeling entirely like a boss, when it didn't exactly go according to plan.

Instead, my clumsiness decided to pay me a visit again and I ended up tripping up on my own two feet.

I clearly saw myself falling.

I heard my thoughts yell out " _shit!_ ".

I anticipated the extra additional pain.

But it never came.

My eyes had closed on its own so I couldn't see what was happening. All I felt was hands wrapped securely around my body.

The second this thought caught on, my eyes snapped open, only to come face to face with dark blue orbs.

My mind instantly screamed profanities.

I hated these type of moments. They were cliche and never really happened in real life.

And yet here I was!

My mind was telling me to move, to get out of the embrace and my heart supported it, entirely. But my body was on a different setting.

It remained in its frozen state.

If it had been any other person, I probably would've reacted a lot quicker.

But because this was Four, I was still shocked that he was even here.

Still, I hated the idea being saved. And my fury immediately started to spike up again.

Before I could have reacted though, suddenly I was crashing onto the floor again for the second time today.

And it hadn't even been half an hour!

This was a new record.

I landed on the ground with a thud, my butt slightly sore.

Momentarily, surprise was all I could feel until I finally made sense of what had just happened.

Four had let go of me himself.

He had caught me as I fell, just to be the _reason_ I fell.

I couldn't help but slightly smirk at this. I was genuinely amused.

As I met his gaze once more, I felt the expression remain.

"Nice twist" I commented before standing up and dusting myself off. I held eye contact the entire time, remembering to stay unfazed.

I was, however, glad that my bruises had already healed or else I would've definitely felt that when he let go.

"I figured you could save yourself since you patently aren't appreciative of anyones help" he responded.

I scoffed. "Good job" I then mocked. "Be sure to keep that in mind for future reference."

Attempting to walk off for real this time, I was careful not to fall again. Eventually, I managed to get to class without any further incidents.

However, because I always had the worst of luck, I only had 20 minutes left of class. I only prayed that Tori wouldn't find out about this.

*.*.*

School ended a lot quicker than I had thought.

Then again, that probably was only because I came to school halfway through the morning.

As I walked towards my car, my name was suddenly yelled out. I turned to find Uriah running towards me. I stopped and waited for him to catch up.

"Hey Tris" he called out the minute he arrived. "We're having a party tonight and we're hoping you could come. Oh and it's SuperHero themed."

I raised a curious brow at the theme. _What were they, 8? And who has a party in the middle of the week? It was only Wednesday._

However, his smile which shone bright, filled entirely with hope snatched at my attention. I almost felt bad that I was about to decline.

Too bad I didn't feel guilty enough.

"Thanks for the invite Uri" I then replied, "but I can't make it tonight."

The smile instantly dropped.

"What? Why not?" I shrugged my shoulders.

"I'm not really a party type of person" I told him.

He tried pouting next.

"C'mon Tris" he then tried to convince. "It's gonna be fun."

"No thanks" I replied while opening my car and placing my backpack inside. " _You guys_ have fun though."

"Tris don't make me drag you there" he playfully threatened.

I rolled my eyes. "The minute you touch me Uriah," I responded while hopping into my car, "is the minute you wind up dead."

Saluting him goodbye, I then drove away without a single glance back.

When I arrived home, Tori greeted me at the door.

I smiled at her, although I was silently praying she wasn't there to scold me for this morning.

She didn't.

"How was school, Bea?" she asked as I carried my stuff through the door.

"School is school" I answered. She rolled her eyes.

"Wow. Thanks for the insight" she responded sarcastically. I couldn't help but chuckle a little bit.

Grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl, I took a seat at the dining table. She did too.

"You know" she then began, her gaze meeting mine, "I was thinking today," _Uh oh_ , "and I was wondering why you don't go out and do something fun" she said questioningly. "All you ever do is work, train or just hang out here doing who knows what."

I quietly sighed before placing my half eaten apple onto the table.

I wasn't hungry any more. But she continued anyways, ignoring my signs of discontent.

I really didn't want to talk about this. I knew where this would eventually lead up to.

"Tris, you _have_ money" she then added. "Stop putting them in the jars."

For a moment, I was surprised by this.

The jars that Tori was speaking of were hidden in a secret compartment in her closet. She was the only person who supposed to know of them. But I had stumbled across them one day.

These jars were labelled, "rent", "water bill", "gas bill" and "electricity". The point of them were to get the bigger struggles out of the way first whereas the rest of our living expenses such as food and clothes were kept normally in her wallet. They were the minor struggles so they didn't need to be heavily stressed on.

However, up until now, I didn't ever think she noticed I was chipping in money.

"Tris" she then went on, silently asking for my attention again. "Use that money for yourself. Those are your _own_ earnings." I immediately frowned at this.

"There's nothing that I need" I told her but her brows instantly furrowed.

" _Need_? How about a _want_ , Bea?" she asked

"There's nothing that I want either" I argued.

She huffed before leaning back into her seat, shaking her head slightly.

"Don't think I don't know what this is about" she then said softly, her voice a whisper. "We're not on the streets anymore, Tris."

I let out an agitated breath before straightening in my seat.

"This isn't about the streets" I tried to lie but she called out on it.

"Don't give me that" she threw back at me, sternly. Her entire expression was now sombre; something that was rare for Tori.

Since I was kid, Tori always hid this side of her.

She only used it for the streets. But for me only, did she hide it away.

She did that to remind me that she would always be on my side. And that was needed for a kid who was raised on the streets.

You couldn't really trust anyone.

Not even blood.

But, this moment was an exception. I understood why though.

"Don't lie to me Tris" she spoke firmly, her voice authoritative. "Everything you do reflects the street." As if to prove her point, she then said, "I was going through your room today and do you know what I found?"

I immediately gulped nervously. There was a lot of things she could have found.

She didn't wait for a reply. Instead, she pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket. I frowned, unsure of what it was.

As she unfolded it slowly, she then placed it on the table. She spun it around to face me before pushing it up so that it was in my line of sight.

I gulped again when I finally recognised what it was. The sketch and various words popped out at me alarmingly.

I slowly glanced up to meet her gaze.

"What is this?" she asked in disbelief. I winced a little.

"A sketch?" I answered, timidly.

She snorted sarcastically.

"A detailed one, Tris" she corrected. "Of our house! And with statistics of every compartment and possible exit there is... are you fricking serious?" I stayed silent as I listened to her ramble on.

"And this!" she pointed out, grabbing a hold of the sketch. " _2 in each_ " she read off of the paper. "I found this _really_ odd so I decided to look in _every_ room, except yours, and would you like to know what I found?" The question was obviously rhetoric. I already knew what it was anyway. "I found 2 daggers in _every_ room, mine including!" she exclaimed in incredulity. "And _I_ didn't put that there! I don't even want to _know_ how many weapons you have in _yours_!"

Silence enfolded over the room for a minute as I waited for her to calm down. When she finally did, she let out a long, winding sigh before her posture visibly relaxed.

"We're _not_ on the streets, Tris" she reminded me again.

I let a hint of stillness to settle before responding quietly at last. "It's better safe than sorry. You, of all people Tori, should know that."

"We _left_ the streets, Bea" she spoke again, her message repeating. "You should've left everything behind, along with it."

Now, I was mad. My fists tightly clenched.

I knew I was going to regret it tomorrow if I did something out of line but these reminders were infuriating. I didn't want to be mad, not at Tori.

But she had touched on a subject we _both_ didn't like.

And she _knew_ it.

"You think I can just forget everything that's happened?!" I then asked her forcefully, disregarding all other senses that screamed at me to remain calm.

But she was quick to respond.

"That's the whole reason we moved here in the first place!" she yelled in argumentation. "Stop blaming yourself for what happened! You _**can't**_ protect everyone!"

A loud snap instantly followed her statement. My hand was throbbing with pain but I couldn't feel it. I was too focused on staring down at my sister with anger piling to it's peak.

I was standing now and although I was too infuriated to think of anything else, I could still make sense of the shock that was covering her expression.

Steadily following her gaze, I glanced down to find that the wooden part of the table that used to be in front of me, now had a hole in it.

I had broken it.

In my heated moment of anger, I ignored the damage before storming out of the kitchen. I swiftly grabbed a jacket as I made an exit out of the house.

We both knew I needed to take this breather because fortunately she didn't run out after me.

When I was a few distances away from my house, I finally remembered my hand. Without glancing at it, I began flexing it in an attempt to rid of the redness.

I couldn't help but hiss quietly, my teeth gritting when my thoughts roamed forbidden area.

 _That_ may have not been _my_ fault.

But... _I_ was to blame for many other things.

*.*.*

By the time I returned home late at night, Tori had already left for work.

The house was eerily quiet as I stepped into the kitchen. The wooden part of the table that had broken apart because of me, was no longer there and the hole had been covered up with a table cloth.

Sighing quietly, I went to go look for the missing piece as well as super glue when something on the counter caught my eye.

It was a plate of food.

On top of it was a piece paper that was probably ripped out of a workbook.

I read its contents.

 _Here's dinner._

 _I'll see you in the morning._

 _Be safe._

I couldn't help but sigh again. I thought of placing the note back in its initial position when I abruptly decided to keep it. Abandoning the plate of food, as well as my plans to fix the table, I then trudged my way over to my room.

The regret was already beginning to sink in.

And the only thing that could possibly drown it out for the moment was sleep.


End file.
